Over the next coming weekends, Lisdoonvarna is expected to be visited by around 40,000 hopefuls looking to find their perfect ‘love match’. Indeed, our lovely spa town is not only renowned for its healing spa waters and folk festivals, but nowadays it is firmly on the global map for The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival.
A few key facts about the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival are:
- It is one of Ireland’s oldest festivals, currently in its 157th year.
- The festival originated during the Great Irish Famine which accelerated emigration from the farms.
- The LGBT matchmaking weekend called The Outing was successfully introduced to the festival in 2013.
- More men than women attend the festival!
- The main matchmaker of this festival is Willie Daly, a local horse dealer, farmer, publican and third generation practitioner, who has matched up hundreds of happy couples.
- Irish jigs are one of the main ways for men and women to determine whether they’re well-suited for one another!
We have a lovely 10th Anniversary couple Stacey and Enda, who were matched up by none other than Willie Daly at the Matchmaker Bar 10 years ago. 10 years later, they are happily married with two children and back at the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival paying tribute to the event that united them. The Clare People recently featured a great write up about this brilliant couple!
As this amazing Festival in underway, we have a great line up of festival entertainment coming up, which you would absolutely not want to miss! So what are you waiting for? Head down to Lisdoonvarna for fun, fun and more fun!
Marcus White Lisdoonvarna 